From the upper balcony of Vil’s bar, Vil Noxc stared down toward the lower layer of the Coastal Kingdom as chaos slowly began spreading through the shoreline below. Even from this far up, he could see the destruction clearly. Waves continued crashing violently against the docks while people farther into the district began waking in confusion, lights flickering on throughout buildings as panic slowly rippled through the streets.
And towering over all of it was The Shore Reaver advancing inland.
Vil’s expression had lost its usual relaxed amusement entirely. His sharp eyes tracked the movement of the creature carefully while the distant sound of its roar echoed faintly through the kingdom.
“…So the stories were true after all,” he muttered quietly.
Then his gaze shifted lower.
Toward six small figures retreating through the lower district streets.
Illumina.
Even from this distance, he could tell immediately how overwhelmed they were. Their movements lacked coordination now. Two of them were injured. One could barely stay upright. They had engaged something far beyond their level and survived by sheer instinct alone.
If nobody stepped in soon they would die.
Vil clicked his tongue softly before turning away from the balcony. “Guess I can’t sit around drinking tonight.”
Without wasting another second, he disappeared back inside the building.
The middle layer of the Coastal Kingdom was beginning to wake rapidly now. Citizens stepped out into the streets in confusion while distant shouting spread farther through the district with every passing minute. Some people were already running uphill toward the safer upper sections of the kingdom while others stood frozen, trying to understand what they were seeing down by the shore.
Vil moved through all of it quickly.
The Shore Reaver’s roars continued shaking the streets beneath his feet as he crossed through the middle layer until eventually he arrived at a large stone building overlooking part of the harbor district.
Unlike the colorful businesses and taverns nearby, this structure was built plainly but solidly, its thick walls reinforced with dark stone that had clearly weathered countless storms over the years. A large crest was carved above the entrance, a massive wave crashing against a mountain.
The Titans Guild.
One of the strongest guilds stationed within the Coastal Kingdom.
Vil pushed the doors open without knocking.
The heavy wood slammed inward loudly enough to echo through the entrance hall.
Immediately, “Hey.”
Vil barely got two steps inside before a voice snapped toward him sharply.
“You planning on learning manners anytime soon?” The man asked dryly. “Or do you just enjoy breaking into people’s homes?”
Vil walked forward without slowing. “Shut up, Daichi.”
Daichi’s eyebrow twitched. “Oh?”
Vil’s expression remained serious. “There’s an emergency in the lower layer.”
That changed the atmosphere immediately.
Daichi’s posture straightened slightly. “…What happened?”
Vil looked directly at him.
“The Shore Reaver is attacking the kingdom.”
Silence filled the room instantly.
For a brief second, even Daichi looked unsure if he had heard correctly.
Then his expression hardened completely.
“…You serious?”
“Does it sound like I’m joking?”
Another distant roar echoed faintly through the city outside.
That answered the question for him.
Daichi moved immediately.
He raised one hand toward the ceiling as spiritual energy gathered around his fingers, the air around him shifting violently before a concentrated gust of wind blasted upward through the guild hall.
A massive bronze bell hanging near the upper rafters rang out instantly.
The sound thundered through the entire building.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Emergency signal.
The effect was immediate.
Doors throughout the guild hall slammed open as footsteps erupted from every direction above them. Spiritual energy signatures flared throughout the building one after another as members of the Titans Guild rapidly descended into the main hall already dressed for combat. Within seconds, nearly the entire guild had assembled in the main hall, tension spreading rapidly through the room as the distant roars from the shoreline continued rumbling through the city itself.
One of the younger guild members looked toward Vil. “How close is it?”
“Already entering the lower layer,” Vil answered.
That immediately accelerated the mood further.
Weapons were grabbed. Armor tightened. Spiritual energy flared throughout the room as the Titans prepared themselves rapidly.
Then Vil spoke again.
“There’s something else.”
Daichi looked at him. “What?”
Vil’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“A rookie guild engaged it first.”
That got several confused looks immediately.
“A rookie guild fought the Shore Reaver?” the hammer wielder asked incredulously.
“They’re still alive?” another added.
“Barely,” Vil answered.
His expression darkened slightly as he remembered the state Illumina had been in during the retreat.
“They bought time,” he continued. “But they’re completely outmatched. If you waste movement getting down there, they’ll die before you even arrive.”
The room grew quieter after that.
Because every member of the Titans understood exactly what that meant.
The Shore Reaver was not a creature inexperienced adventurers survived against.
Not even briefly.
Daichi crossed his arms tightly, spiritual energy beginning to swirl more violently around him now as wind pressure subtly built throughout the hall.
“…A rookie guild held that thing off long enough for civilians to evacuate?”
Vil nodded once.
Daichi let out a slow breath through his nose before turning toward the rest of the guild.
“Move out,” he ordered.
The atmosphere in the hall shifted instantly.
The Titans Guild began moving as one.
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The Illumina guild finally stopped once they reached the middle layer of the Coastal Kingdom, ducking behind the stone wall of a narrow side street overlooking the lower district. Everyone’s breathing was heavy. Their clothes were soaked from seawater, sand clung to their skin, and the adrenaline keeping them upright was beginning to wear thin now that they had created even the smallest amount of distance between themselves and the Shore Reaver.
But distance did not make them feel safe.
The creature’s presence still dominated the kingdom below them.
Every roar echoed through the streets like thunder.
Itsuki immediately dropped to her knees beside Ryuji the moment they stopped moving. “Hold still,” she said softly, placing both hands carefully against his side.
Ryuji winced the second her healing energy touched him. “…Feels worse when you touch it.”
“That’s because your ribs are broken,” Itsuki replied.
A soft yellow glow spread from her hands as healing energy flowed into his body. The bruising along his side slowly began fading while his breathing steadied slightly, though the damage was clearly still severe.
Itsuki’s expression tightened after a few seconds. “…I can’t fully heal them right now.”
Ryuji looked down at her. “What do you mean?”
“It would take too much energy,” she admitted quietly. “I can stabilize the damage and dull the pain, but fully repairing broken bones would leave me exhausted.”
“That’s fine,” Ryuji said immediately. “Just enough so I can move.”
Itsuki nodded once and continued carefully reinforcing the injury instead of fully repairing it. The glow around her hands softened as she shifted from healing to support.
Nearby, Tetsuo sat heavily against the wall, coughing up the last remnants of seawater while trying to steady his breathing. He still looked shaken from nearly drowning, though he was doing his best not to show it now.
Itsuki moved to him next.
“Tetsuo,” she said gently.
“I’m good,” he muttered automatically.
“You’re not.”
“…Fair.”
She pressed her glowing hands lightly against his shoulder and chest, healing away the worst of the bruising and strain the currents had caused. Tetsuo let out a long breath as warmth spread through his body.
“…That’s way better,” he admitted.
Once she finished with both of them, Itsuki closed her eyes briefly and took a deeper breath. Spiritual energy began flowing outward from her body in a soft wave, golden light wrapping around each member of the guild one after another.
Shunjiro immediately felt it.
Warmth spread through his body as the exhaustion weighing down his limbs eased slightly. The unstable spiritual energy inside him steadied under Itsuki’s enhancement, his strength rising noticeably as her support flowed through him.
He looked down at his hand slowly, flexing his fingers as faint traces of energy flickered around them more smoothly than before.
“…Wow,” he muttered.
Itsuki gave him a tired but gentle smile. “It should help a little.”
Shunjiro looked at her for another second, something tightening quietly in his chest. After everything that had happened tonight, after all the panic and fear and chaos, she was still here holding them together.
Without her he honestly didn’t know where they would be.
Probably dead.
Shunjiro smiled faintly back at her before looking away again, trying not to linger on the thought too much.
Tetsuo rolled one shoulder experimentally before glancing toward Yoshinori. “…So,” he said, his voice quieter than usual now, “how strong do you think that thing actually is?”
The question hung heavily in the air.
Yoshinori stayed silent for a moment before answering.
“At minimum?” he said. “S-rank.”
Everyone’s expressions tightened.
Then Yoshinori continued.
“…Possibly low SS-rank.”
Even Aiko went silent after hearing that.
Ryuji stared at him. “…You serious?”
Yoshinori nodded once. “Its spiritual output is enormous. Far beyond anything we’ve encountered before. The defensive layering on its scales alone is stronger than most high-ranking dungeon creatures.”
Tetsuo let out a slow whistle under his breath. “…Cool.”
“That isn’t cool,” Aiko immediately snapped.
Tetsuo pointed weakly toward the shoreline below. “It’s kinda cool.”
“It almost drowned you.”
“…Still cool.”
Shunjiro leaned back against the wall slightly, his mind racing. “Then what do we even do?” he asked. “If it’s really that strong…”
Yoshinori’s expression remained grim. “Realistically? There is a zero percent chance we defeat it ourselves.”
The blunt honesty of it settled heavily over the group.
Not one percent.
Zero.
Shunjiro ran a hand through his wet hair in frustration. “Then maybe we ask Vil for help,” he said quickly. “Or somebody stronger. There’s gotta be guilds in this kingdom that can fight something like this.”
“There are,” Yoshinori replied. “The issue is whether they arrive before the Shore Reaver reaches the upper layers.”
Aiko folded her arms tightly as she looked back toward the lower district. “If we come up with an actual strategy, maybe we can still slow it down,” she said. “We know the eyes are vulnerable now. We know lightning affects it. If we coordinate properly instead of charging randomly-”
A deafening crash interrupted her.
The entire street shook violently beneath them.
Everyone turned instantly toward the shoreline below.
The Shore Reaver had swung its massive tail again.
This time, the force behind it created an enormous wave that surged directly into the second layer itself. Water exploded through the lower streets like a flood, smashing through market stalls and smaller buildings while docked boats were torn free and hurled into the stone walkways.
Lantern posts snapped apart.
Windows shattered.
Then came the fire.
Several overturned lanterns burst apart during the flooding, flames spreading rapidly through damaged wooden structures as seawater mixed chaotically with burning debris. Smoke began rising immediately into the dark pre-dawn sky as screams finally started echoing through the district below.
The Shore Reaver stepped fully onto land.
Its enormous body crushed through part of the lower layer as if the buildings beneath it weighed nothing. Water poured endlessly from its scaled body while its glowing blue eyes scanned the kingdom ahead of it.
Shunjiro stared down at the destruction spreading through the lower layer as smoke slowly climbed into the dark sky above the kingdom. The Shore Reaver continued forcing its way inland, each step shaking the streets beneath it while seawater flooded through shattered buildings and broken market roads. Fires had begun spreading rapidly now, orange light flickering across the district as civilians finally started pouring out into the streets in panic.
His hands tightened into fists.
“We can’t just stand here,” he said. “Even if we can’t beat it… we have to at least hold it back.”
Ryuji pushed himself upright despite the pain in his ribs. “Agreed.”
Yoshinori looked toward the advancing creature, clearly still calculating possibilities despite how grim the situation had become. “Holding it back and dying pointlessly are two different things.”
Before Shunjiro could argue further a powerful gust of wind swept through the street behind them.
The entire guild turned immediately.
Several figures had appeared atop the rooftops overlooking the middle layer, their spiritual pressure noticeably heavier than anything Illumina had felt from ordinary adventurers before. Even exhausted and injured, the difference in experience was obvious immediately.
The Titans Guild had arrived.
At the center of the group stood a woman whose presence alone seemed to steady the chaos around her. Long silver-pink hair flowed behind her in the rising wind while sharp crimson eyes remained fixed on the Shore Reaver below. Her armor was sleek and battle-worn rather than ceremonial, built for movement rather than appearance, and despite the destruction unfolding beneath the kingdom, her expression remained calm.
Rei Tatsuki. Leader of the Titans Guild.
Beside her stood a tall, lean man with silver hair falling neatly around his face. His green eyes scanned the lower layer sharply, already visibly irritated by the situation itself. A short blade rested at his hip, the hilt worn smooth from constant use.
Daichi Takeda.
Even before speaking, he somehow looked annoyed at the entire world.
“…Great,” Daichi muttered as he stared toward the Shore Reaver.
Not far behind him stood a dwarfwoman nearly as wide as she was tall, sleeveless armor exposing heavily muscled arms covered in scars from years of combat. Resting against her shoulder was an enormous warhammer that looked heavy enough to crush stone with a single swing.
Hikari Balrik.
She grinned the moment she saw the Shore Reaver.
“…Now that,” she said excitedly, “is a proper monster.”
Next to her stood a towering beastkin man whose sheer size rivaled Tetsuo’s. Thick fur lined parts of his arms and neck while a massive cleaver rested comfortably over one shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all.
Roki.
Despite his intimidating size, his expression was calm almost to the point of gentleness as he surveyed the burning lower layer.
“That’s a lot of damage…” he muttered quietly.
Another figure stepped lightly onto the rooftop edge beside them, almost silent compared to the others. An elf girl with silver-green hair tied loosely behind her watched the lower district carefully, her eyes strangely focused despite the chaos below.
Akima.
Unlike the others, she said nothing.
But every few seconds her gaze shifted toward different sections of the city as if she were tracking something invisible.
Then came the final member.
A much smaller girl hurried past the others carrying a long silver-blue staff almost taller than she was herself. Her flowing pink hair caught immediately in the wind while her bright blue eyes widened at the destruction spreading through the lower layer.
“Aira…” Itsuki whispered softly.
Aira Tatsuki immediately spotted her friend. “Itsuki?!”
There was only enough time for brief surprise before Aira raised her staff and began casting immediately. Water surged upward from the flooded lower streets in controlled streams, extinguishing burning buildings one after another as she rushed ahead toward the spreading fires.
“We can catch up later!” she shouted back quickly. “People are trapped!”
Itsuki nodded immediately. “Right!”
The Titans moved without hesitation.
Daichi leapt upward onto a higher rooftop as powerful currents of wind spiraled around his feet. He scanned the lower district sharply from above while Akima closed her eyes briefly, her expression tightening in concentration.
“…There,” she said quietly, pointing toward a partially collapsed building farther down the flooded streets. “Three civilians. Still alive.”
Daichi clicked his tongue. “Of course there are.”
He vanished immediately in a burst of wind.
Meanwhile, Hikari, Roki, and Rei approached Illumina directly.
Even exhausted, Shunjiro could feel the pressure radiating from them the closer they got. Not oppressive. Controlled. The kind of strength that came from years of surviving battles far beyond anything Illumina had experienced yet.
Rei’s eyes moved carefully across the group.
Injuries.
Exhaustion.
Water-soaked clothes.
And despite all of it they were still standing.
“You engaged it first?” she asked calmly.
Shunjiro nodded once. “Yeah.”
Hikari let out a low whistle. “And you’re alive. That’s impressive.”
“Barely,” Tetsuo muttered.
Rei stepped closer to the edge overlooking the lower district, studying the Shore Reaver carefully before speaking again. “Tell me everything you learned.”
Yoshinori answered first. “Its scales are reinforced by spiritual energy. Physical attacks are mostly ineffective unless the output surpasses its defensive layer.”
Rei nodded slightly.
“The eyes are vulnerable,” Shunjiro added quickly. “Lightning damaged them more than anything else we tried.”
That caught Rei’s attention immediately.
Yoshinori stepped forward slightly. “Light-based spiritual attacks seem effective against it. At minimum, they disrupt its vision and reactions.”
Hikari rested her hammer against the ground with a heavy thud. “Good. Makes our job easier.”
Roki looked toward the creature again, his expression finally hardening slightly. “…That thing’s bigger than the reports.”
“It’s still growing more aggressive too,” Yoshinori added. “The longer the fight continues, the more destruction it causes through the waves alone.”
Rei absorbed all of it calmly.
Then she looked back toward Illumina.
“You’ve done enough,” she said.
Shunjiro blinked slightly. “…What?”
Rei’s voice remained steady and direct. “You slowed it down long enough for evacuations to begin. That alone likely saved lives.”
“But-”
“Sit back,” Rei interrupted gently but firmly. “And let us handle the rest.”
The confidence in her voice stunned them for a second.
Not arrogance.
Experience.
The kind that only came from people who had fought monsters like this before and survived.
Behind Rei, another roar from the Shore Reaver shook the kingdom as the massive creature tore through another building near the lower district docks.
Hikari grinned again, tightening her grip on the warhammer.
Roki rolled his shoulders once, massive spiritual pressure beginning to rise from his body.
And from the rooftops above, Daichi’s irritated voice echoed through the streets.
“Less staring,” he shouted down at them. “More killing the giant sea monster.”
The moment Rei finished speaking, the atmosphere around the Titans shifted completely.
There was no hesitation. No nervousness. No frantic scrambling to decide what to do next. The three front-line fighters moved immediately, stepping toward the edge of the middle layer overlooking the flooded lower district while the Shore Reaver continued tearing through below.
Hikari rolled her shoulders once, the metal plates along her sleeveless armor creaking softly as she adjusted her grip on the massive warhammer resting against her shoulder. Even standing still, she radiated overwhelming physical strength.
Beside her, Roki rested his enormous cleaver across one shoulder while calmly watching the creature’s movements below. Unlike Hikari’s explosive confidence, his presence felt grounded and steady, like a mountain preparing itself for impact.
And at the center Rei Tatsuki stepped forward quietly, silver-pink hair swaying behind her as spiritual energy slowly began rising around her body.
Ryuji’s eyes immediately locked onto the massive warhammer resting against Hikari’s shoulder the moment the Titans prepared to move. Even from this distance, the weapon looked absurdly heavy, the metal head large enough that it could probably crush a carriage in one swing.
Tetsuo noticed it too, and despite the tension filling the kingdom, a grin spread across his face anyway.
“…No way,” he muttered.
Ryuji looked over at him immediately. “You thinking about the sparring match too?”
Tetsuo let out a short laugh. “She told us we weren’t ready for her to use the hammer yet.”
“And we thought she was exaggerating,” Ryuji added.
Shunjiro barely heard them. His focus remained locked on the Shore Reaver below as the sea beast dragged itself farther into the lower layer, its massive claws crushing through flooded streets while smoke and fire spread around it.
Then the Titans moved.
They sprinted forward together, leaping from the edge of the middle layer directly toward the ruined lower district below.
Itsuki’s eyes widened. “…They’re jumping straight at it?”
But before they could fall the ground beneath them rose.
Chunks of stone and earth suddenly ripped upward from the lower layer, massive slabs of rock lifting violently into the air beneath the Titans’ feet. The floating platforms stabilized almost instantly, carrying the three fighters upward like moving pieces of land suspended above the battlefield.
Shunjiro stared in disbelief. “…What the hell?”
The slabs accelerated forward through the air.
Rei stood farther behind them now, one hand slightly raised toward the battlefield below while her silver-pink hair drifted gently around her from the force of her own spiritual energy.
Yoshinori narrowed his eyes immediately, studying the movement carefully. “…Interesting.”
“You know what she’s doing?” Aiko asked.
“Not exactly,” Yoshinori admitted. “But it resembles some form of mental manipulation ability. She’s controlling external objects remotely… likely through direct spiritual interference.”
“You mean she’s moving giant pieces of the city with her mind?” Tetsuo asked.
“…Essentially.”
Tetsuo blinked once. “…That’s sick.”
Below them, the floating slabs surged across the battlefield rapidly, carrying Hikari and Roki directly toward the Shore Reaver while Rei guided their movement from afar with perfect precision.
The sea beast noticed them immediately.
Its glowing blue eyes shifted toward the approaching figures as another low roar shook the flooded streets beneath it.
Hikari grinned. “Finally,”
The slab carrying her suddenly accelerated upward, lifting her directly toward the creature’s head. Wind whipped around her as spiritual energy began exploding outward from her body in violent bursts.
The pressure changed instantly.
Even from the middle layer, Illumina could feel it.
“…Whoa,” Shunjiro whispered.
Cracks of bright energy erupted around Hikari’s warhammer as she pulled it back with both hands. The force radiating from the weapon became so intense it almost resembled lightning striking around her body, white-blue flashes tearing through the air from the sheer density of her spiritual output.
But it wasn’t lightning.
It was raw power.
Ryuji’s eyes widened slightly. “…No way.”
Tetsuo leaned forward instinctively. “…That’s insane.”
Hikari leapt.
The floating slab beneath her shattered apart from the force of her jump as she launched herself directly toward the Shore Reaver’s face.
The creature swung one massive arm toward her.
Hikari twisted through the air with shocking agility for someone carrying such a massive weapon before bringing the warhammer down with both hands.
The impact exploded across the battlefield.
A blinding flash erupted the moment the hammer collided with the Shore Reaver’s skull, the force releasing like a contained explosion as shockwaves blasted outward across the flooded streets below. Water erupted in every direction while nearby buildings shook violently from the pressure alone.
For the first time since arriving the Shore Reaver staggered.
Its massive body lurched backward several steps as a roar of pain thundered through the kingdom, one side of its head visibly denting inward beneath the impact.
Shunjiro’s eyes widened. “…She hurt it.”
“She really hurt it,” Tetsuo corrected immediately.
Even Yoshinori looked slightly surprised now.
The Shore Reaver thrashed violently, clearly affected by the strike as seawater exploded around its feet. Hikari flipped backward through the air before landing smoothly atop another floating slab Rei had already positioned beneath her.
The platform caught her perfectly.
Hikari rested the warhammer against her shoulder again with a grin stretching across her face. “Yeah,” she said proudly. “That landed nicely.”
Back on the middle layer, Ryuji stared at her in complete disbelief.
“…Okay,” he admitted quietly. “We never had a chance.”
Hikari’s strike had done something Illumina hadn’t managed a single time since the battle began.
It had forced the Shore Reaver backward.
The massive sea beast stumbled several steps through the flooded lower layer, one enormous claw crashing through the side of a building as its roar shook the kingdom. The impact from the warhammer had visibly rattled the creature, but as the blinding flash from the collision faded, the truth became obvious almost immediately.
The scales had held.
There were cracks now. Small ones. The reinforced layer of spiritual energy coating its body had flickered violently beneath the attack, but Hikari’s strike hadn’t fully broken through.
“…Even that didn’t pierce it?” Shunjiro muttered in disbelief.
Yoshinori’s expression remained tense as he watched carefully. “The defensive output is absurd.”
Hikari clicked her tongue as she landed smoothly atop another floating slab Rei positioned beneath her feet. “Tough bastard,” she muttered, rolling one shoulder while resting the hammer against it again.
The Shore Reaver’s glowing eyes snapped toward her immediately, rage visibly building now as seawater exploded around its feet from the force of its movements. The creature opened its jagged mouth and let out another deafening roar that shook broken glass loose from nearby buildings.
Then Roki moved.
Unlike Hikari’s explosive aggression, the beastkin giant moved with frightening calm. He stepped forward atop his floating slab while gripping the massive cleaver with both hands, his eyes fixed entirely on the Shore Reaver’s face.
The air around him began to heat rapidly.
At first, only faint sparks appeared along the edge of the cleaver. Then flames ignited fully across the blade, roaring outward in bright orange streams that wrapped around the massive weapon like living fire.
The cleaver burned brighter and brighter until the weapon itself almost disappeared beneath the intensity of the fire coating it. Heat rolled outward across the battlefield strongly enough that even from the middle layer, Illumina could feel it against their skin.
Roki exhaled slowly.
Then jumped.
The floating slab beneath him cracked apart from the force of the leap as he launched himself directly toward the Shore Reaver. The sea beast swung one enormous arm toward him immediately, but Roki twisted around the attack midair before landing directly against the creature’s arm.
Then he started running upward.
His cleaver dragged against the scales as he sprinted, flames erupting violently behind him while sparks exploded from the contact point between blade and armor. The screeching sound of metal grinding against stone echoed through the flooded district as Roki forced the burning weapon against the Shore Reaver’s reinforced hide.
But the scales still resisted.
“…Still not enough?” Tetsuo muttered.
Roki narrowed his eyes slightly as he continued climbing. The flames around the cleaver intensified again, spiritual energy pouring harder into the weapon until the fire shifted from orange to a brighter golden-red hue.
The scales finally began splitting.
Not deeply.
But enough.
Small cracks spread behind him as he carved upward toward the creature’s shoulder.
The Shore Reaver roared furiously and slammed its arm violently against nearby buildings, trying to shake him free. Entire structures collapsed beneath the impact while debris exploded across the lower layer streets.
Still Roki kept climbing.
His expression never changed. Calm. Focused. Controlled.
He reached the creature’s shoulder in seconds before crouching low.
Then he leapt again.
This time he aimed directly for the face.
The Shore Reaver opened its mouth wide, preparing another roar as Roki soared upward through the air surrounded by flames. For one brief moment, his silhouette hung against the dark pre-dawn sky while fire spiraled around the cleaver in widening arcs.
Then he swung.
Not wildly.
Precisely.
The stance itself looked controlled, almost elegant despite the overwhelming power behind it. The cleaver sliced cleanly through the air in a horizontal arc, and the moment the swing completed, a massive crescent of compressed flame energy erupted outward from the blade.
The attack tore across the battlefield like a burning wave.
It slammed directly into the Shore Reaver’s face.
The left eye split open first as the flaming crescent carved through it violently before continuing across the creature’s face toward the right side. Fire exploded outward from the collision while blood and burning energy scattered below.
The Shore Reaver screamed.
Not roared.
Screamed.
The sound shook the kingdom harder than anything before it.
Its massive body reeled backward violently as both glowing blue eyes flickered erratically beneath the damage. One eye had been split nearly in half while the other burned from the lingering flames still spreading across its face.
“That did it!” Shunjiro shouted.
But the reaction came immediately afterward.
And it was far worse.
The Shore Reaver lost control.
The creature began thrashing violently through the lower layer, blinded by pain and rage as its tail crashed through entire streets without direction. Buildings exploded apart beneath the force of its movements while massive waves surged inland from the shoreline every time its body slammed against the flooded district.
“Move!” Daichi shouted from above.
A tower near the docks collapsed entirely as the Shore Reaver crashed into it blindly. Burning debris rained through the streets while civilians still evacuating screamed in panic below.
Rei’s expression changed instantly.
The floating slabs beneath her feet expanded outward as spiritual energy surged from her body in massive waves. Entire sections of broken streets and collapsed buildings suddenly lifted into the air around her, suspended by invisible force as she redirected debris away from fleeing civilians.
But there was too much.
The Shore Reaver’s tail smashed through another structure before Rei could intercept it, sending flaming wreckage hurtling directly toward nearby homes in the middle layer.
Rei raised one hand sharply.
Half the debris froze midair.
The rest kept going.
“…Damn it,” she muttered.
The burning wreckage slammed into several buildings farther uphill, igniting new fires instantly.
Meanwhile, Aira was already struggling.
Water spiraled violently around her staff as she desperately redirected floodwater toward spreading flames throughout the lower district. Entire streets were covered in steam now as she extinguished fire after fire, but every time she managed to suppress one section, three more erupted somewhere else.
“There’s too many!” she shouted.
Akima appeared beside her briefly, pointing toward another collapsing street. “Civilians trapped there.”
Aira looked over immediately. “…Seriously?!”
Daichi dropped down from a rooftop nearby in a burst of wind, clearly more irritated with every passing second. “The thing’s panicking,” he snapped. “And panicking monsters destroy cities.”
Another explosion thundered through the district behind him as the Shore Reaver slammed sideways into the harbor wall.
The entire lower layer shook.
Water erupted into the streets.
Ships overturned.
The creature’s damaged eyes burned brighter now, its movements becoming increasingly erratic as pain overtook whatever instinct had guided it before. It no longer seemed focused on advancing toward the kingdom.
Now it simply wanted to destroy everything around it.
Roki landed heavily atop another floating slab while flames still drifted from his cleaver. Even he looked more serious now as he stared toward the raging sea beast.
“That hit deeper than expected,” he admitted.
Hikari snorted. “You nearly cut its face in half.”
“Not enough.”
The Shore Reaver suddenly swung blindly again.
Its tail crashed through a row of buildings near the lower district marketplace, and the resulting shockwave traveled all the way into the middle layer streets. Windows shattered around Illumina while nearby lantern posts collapsed onto the roads below.
Then came the fire.
The tail strike had ruptured several oil storage buildings near the docks.
Flames exploded upward instantly.
A massive wall of fire surged through the lower district as burning oil spread across the floodwaters themselves, turning entire sections of the kingdom into blazing rivers beneath the dark sky.
Itsuki stared in horror. “…Oh no…”
Aira’s eyes widened immediately. “That’s spreading too fast!”
She slammed her staff downward as enormous streams of water surged toward the burning streets, but the scale of the destruction was rapidly becoming overwhelming even for her.
The Shore Reaver roared again.
One damaged eye barely remained open now, but the creature’s rage only intensified as it lashed out blindly in every direction.
Rei gritted her teeth.
More debris rose into the air around her.
Entire collapsed sections of the city floated upward under her control as she redirected wreckage away from evacuation routes, but the strain was beginning to show now. Sweat formed along her brow as the amount of destruction continued increasing faster than she could contain it.
Even the Titans were being overwhelmed.
Illumina watched all of it unfold from the middle layer in stunned silence.
Because until this moment, part of them still believed the Titans would simply arrive and solve everything.
Now they understood.
Even monsters like the Titans struggled against something on this level.
Shunjiro clenched his fists tightly as the Shore Reaver tore through another section of the kingdom below.
“We can’t just stay here,” he said quietly.
Yoshinori didn’t answer immediately.
Because part of him agreed.
Another collapsing structure nearly crushed several fleeing civilians before Daichi redirected it away with a violent burst of wind. The silver-haired fighter landed hard atop a rooftop afterward, glaring furiously toward the Shore Reaver.
“We’re running out of space!” he shouted down toward Rei.
The leader of the Titans looked toward the advancing fires and collapsing district around them.
She knew it too.
If the creature continued rampaging like this much longer, half the Coastal Kingdom would be destroyed before sunrise.
Then Daichi’s eyes shifted upward.
Toward Illumina.
His expression tightened immediately.
“You six,” he shouted. “If you can still move, then stop standing around looking scared.”
The group blinked.
Daichi pointed directly toward the battlefield below.
“We need every fighter we’ve got now,” he snapped. “Because if this thing reaches the upper layer, we’re all screwed.”
From atop a floating slab of stone suspended high above the flooded district, Rei Tatsuki narrowed her eyes toward the raging sea beast below. Spiritual energy pulsed faintly around her as sections of broken roads, collapsed walls, and chunks of earth continued levitating under her control across the battlefield.
“Hikari,” she called calmly. “Left side.”
“Got it.”
The slab beneath Hikari suddenly accelerated.
The dwarfwoman grinned wildly as Rei launched her through the air toward the Shore Reaver like a cannon projectile. Wind screamed around Hikari while she pulled the massive warhammer back over her shoulder, spiritual energy exploding outward around her body in violent bursts.
Below her, the Shore Reaver swung blindly through burning buildings, one damaged eye barely functioning while the other still leaked glowing blood from Roki’s earlier strike.
Hikari descended like a meteor.
Her hammer collided against the creature’s shoulder with another blinding explosion of force.
The impact shook the entire district.
The Shore Reaver staggered sideways, one massive foot crashing through a row of buildings as shockwaves blasted outward through the flooded streets. Water erupted skyward around the collision point while chunks of broken scales scattered across the battlefield.
“Still ridiculous,” Hikari muttered as she flipped backward through the air.
Before gravity could claim her, another slab of floating stone rose beneath her feet seamlessly. Rei redirected the platform instantly, carrying Hikari safely away before the Shore Reaver’s tail crashed through the space she had occupied moments earlier.
At the same time Roki moved in.
The beastkin giant sprinted forward atop another floating slab while flames roared violently around his cleaver once more. Rei shifted the terrain beneath him constantly, lifting pieces of the ruined streets upward to carry him directly into striking range.
The coordination between the Titans was flawless.
The moment the Shore Reaver recovered from Hikari’s attack, Roki leapt upward through the smoke and fire surrounding the creature.
His cleaver ignited brighter.
Then he swung downward.
A massive arc of flame exploded from the blade and crashed against the creature’s chest, fire tearing across its scales in a violent eruption that forced the Shore Reaver backward again.
The creature roared furiously.
Still not enough.
Still alive.
Still pushing forward.
“Damn thing doesn’t quit,” Hikari growled.
Back in the middle layer streets, Illumina watched the battle unfold with a mixture of awe and dread. The Titans fought on a completely different level than anything they had ever witnessed before. Every movement was controlled. Coordinated. Efficient.
And yet even they were struggling.
Shunjiro tightened his fists as he stared toward the battlefield below. Itsuki’s enhancement still flowed through his body, his spiritual energy feeling stronger and steadier than normal, but every time he looked toward the Shore Reaver, he still couldn’t find the moment to move.
Every opening disappeared before he could act.
Every attack from the creature carried enough force to kill him instantly if he misstepped.
Meanwhile, Tetsuo looked inspired more than frightened now.
His eyes followed Hikari and Roki’s movements intensely. Every strike. Every leap. Every use of spiritual energy.
“…That’s insane,” he muttered under his breath.
Then he grinned.
“…I wanna try.”
Before anyone could stop him, Tetsuo sprinted forward again.
“Tetsuo!” Itsuki called after him.
“I’ll be fine!” he shouted back.
The moment he reached the flooded lower streets, spiritual energy surged beneath his feet again, allowing him to sprint across the water as he charged back toward the Shore Reaver.
“Tetsuo, don’t overcommit!” Yoshinori warned.
“Too late!”
Tetsuo leapt upward onto one of Rei’s floating slabs just as it rose through the battlefield. Hikari blinked in surprise when he landed beside her.
“…You again?”
Tetsuo grinned. “I’m helping.”
Hikari barked out a laugh. “Fair enough.”
The slab accelerated forward again as Rei silently adjusted its movement from afar.
Meanwhile, Yoshinori moved carefully through the rooftops overlooking the battlefield, his eyes locked onto the Shore Reaver’s damaged face. Lightning crackled constantly around his fingertips now as he searched for precise openings between the Titans’ assaults.
The moment the creature exposed its injured eye again Yoshinori fired.
A concentrated bolt of lightning tore across the battlefield and slammed directly into the damaged area around the Shore Reaver’s face. Electricity exploded violently across exposed flesh, forcing another roar from the creature as its movements faltered briefly.
“It reacts every time,” Yoshinori muttered.
Lightning mattered.
Not enough to kill it.
But enough to disrupt it.
The Shore Reaver retaliated immediately afterward.
Its tail swept violently across the lower district again, this time smashing directly through several burning structures near the harbor. The impact launched flaming debris high into the air while floodwaters surged violently through the streets below.
“Civilians!” Aira shouted.
Akima’s eyes narrowed instantly. “…Three trapped under the east market collapse.”
Daichi appeared beside her in a burst of wind. “Where?”
Akima pointed immediately.
Daichi vanished again without another word.
Meanwhile, farther below, Aiko stood beside Ryuji in the flooded streets while civilians rushed past them toward evacuation routes.
“There!” Akima shouted from above.
Aiko looked toward the collapsed building immediately. Spiritual energy surged around her hand as she infused a broken piece of wood nearby.
Several terrified civilians suddenly vanished from beneath the debris and reappeared beside her.
One woman nearly collapsed from shock. “W-What-?!”
“Less screaming,” Aiko said quickly. “More running.”
Ryuji winced as he lifted part of another collapsed beam despite his injured ribs. “Move!” he shouted toward trapped civilians nearby. “Get uphill!”
Even injured, he continued helping drag people free while Daichi redirected falling debris overhead using violent gusts of wind.
The battlefield had become complete chaos.
Titans fought the Shore Reaver directly.
Illumina supported where they could.
And all around them the kingdom burned.
Back near the center of the battlefield, Rei raised both hands sharply as the Shore Reaver slammed into another section of the district. Entire chunks of ruined streets rose upward under her control, forming floating barriers that intercepted collapsing debris before it crushed fleeing civilians.
But the strain was clearly increasing now.
Sweat dripped from Rei’s face as she maintained control over dozens of massive objects simultaneously.
“Rei!” Daichi shouted from above. “You’re overextending!”
“I know.”
The Shore Reaver suddenly lunged forward again.
Its damaged vision made its movements less precise now, but also far more violent. One claw tore directly through the side of a building near the middle layer staircase, nearly collapsing part of the evacuation route entirely.
Shunjiro’s eyes widened.
People were still there.
Without thinking, he moved.
Spiritual energy surged beneath his feet as he sprinted forward through the flooded streets toward the collapsing structure. Itsuki’s enhancement stabilized his movements enough that his footing remained steady even atop the water.
“Shunjiro!” Yoshinori shouted.
The building groaned loudly as debris began crashing downward toward trapped civilians below.
Shunjiro planted his feet.
Then punched upward with everything he had.
His spiritual energy exploded violently from his fist, blasting apart part of the falling debris before it could crush the civilians beneath it. The impact wasn’t nearly enough to fully stop the collapse, but it bought enough time for Daichi to arrive.
A massive gust of wind erupted through the street and redirected the remaining debris safely aside.
Daichi landed nearby afterward, glancing toward Shunjiro briefly.
Then he vanished again.
Shunjiro stared at his own trembling hand afterward.
Itsuki’s enhancement.
Without it there was no way he could have done that.
Farther down the battlefield, Tetsuo was now actively fighting beside Hikari and Roki atop Rei’s floating platforms.
He launched himself toward the Shore Reaver again with a loud yell, spiritual energy exploding around his fists before slamming another punch into the creature’s arm.
The impact actually cracked several weakened scales this time.
Tetsuo’s eyes widened immediately. “…I did it!”
Hikari snorted. “Took you long enough.”
The Shore Reaver roared and swung toward them again, but Rei instantly shifted the floating terrain beneath the fighters, carrying all three out of range before the massive claw could crush them.
Meanwhile, Yoshinori continued targeting the creature’s exposed weak points whenever possible. Bolts of lightning flashed repeatedly across the battlefield now, striking damaged areas around the Shore Reaver’s face and joints every chance he got.
But despite all of it The Shore Reaver kept moving.
Kept fighting.
Kept destroying.
And slowly The Titans began realizing something terrifying.
They still weren’t stopping it.
Hikari landed hard atop another floating slab and wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. “…It’s slowing down,” she admitted.
“But not enough,” Roki finished.
Below them, the Shore Reaver tore through another section of the lower district blindly, flames reflecting across its enormous scaled body while floodwaters surged around its feet.
Then Roki’s eyes shifted suddenly.
Toward Itsuki.
The healer stood farther behind the battlefield, still supporting the others while preserving as much energy as possible for healing.
Roki narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…Wait.”
Hikari glanced toward him. “What?”
Roki kept staring toward Itsuki. “…The girl.”
Itsuki blinked when she noticed him looking at her. “…Me?”
Roki stepped back onto one of Rei’s floating slabs as realization crossed his expression. “Your beam attack.”
Itsuki froze slightly.
Roki’s expression remained focused now. “Back during our sparring match… you shattered my cleaver.”
That immediately got Rei’s attention.
Itsuki shook her head quickly. “That was different-”
“No,” Roki interrupted calmly. “It wasn’t.”
Itsuki looked uncertain immediately.
Roki pointed toward the Shore Reaver.
“Fire the strongest beam you can.”
Itsuki blinked. “…What?”
“The strongest one,” Roki repeated.
Yoshinori frowned slightly. “Roki, she’s our healer. Burning through her energy reserves now is dangerous.”
“I know,” Roki said.
“Then why-”
“Because her attacks are strange.”
Itsuki looked even more confused now.
Roki continued calmly. “Your beam broke a weapon reinforced with my spiritual energy. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.”
Hikari crossed her arms. “…You think she can damage the scales?”
“I think it’s worth trying.”
Everyone looked toward Itsuki now.
Itsuki swallowed slightly as she stared toward the Shore Reaver in the distance. The creature was still rampaging through the kingdom despite everything the Titans had thrown at it.
“…I…” she hesitated.
Then she looked toward the destruction around them.
The fires.
The collapsing buildings.
The civilians still running for their lives.
Itsuki tightened her grip on her staff.
“…Okay.”
She stepped forward slowly toward the edge of the flooded streets below while spiritual energy began gathering around her body.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Even the Titans noticed it.
Itsuki closed her eyes briefly as energy poured into her staff, golden light building rapidly around the orb at its tip. Unlike her healing energy, this power felt sharper. Denser.
Focused entirely into destruction.
The light grew brighter.
And brighter.
Wind began swirling outward around her from the sheer amount of spiritual energy gathering into a single point.
Shunjiro stared at her in surprise.
“…Itsuki…”
Even she looked confused by how much energy she was drawing in.
But she didn’t stop.
The Shore Reaver turned toward her now, sensing the growing pressure.
Its damaged eyes locked onto the glowing figure standing below.
Itsuki opened her eyes.
Then fired.
The beam erupted forward like a concentrated pillar of light.
It tore across the battlefield instantly.
The moment it collided with the Shore Reaver’s face-
Everything changed.
The beam did not stop at the scales.
It tore through them.
The reinforced spiritual energy coating the creature’s body split apart unnaturally as the beam carved directly into its face, shredding through scales and exposing raw flesh beneath in a violent explosion of blood and energy.
The Shore Reaver screamed louder than before.
The entire battlefield froze.
Even Rei’s eyes widened slightly.
“…What?” Hikari muttered.
The beam continued driving forward several more seconds before finally fading.
Smoke rose from the creature’s ruined face.
And for the first time since the battle began The Shore Reaver looked genuinely wounded.